(NewsTarget) Phytic acid in grains, nuts, seeds and beans represents a serious problem in our diets. This problem exists because we have lost touch with our ancestral heritage of food preparation. Instead our culture, be it the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) or the health food crowd, generally promotes consumption of high-phytate foods like commercial whole wheat bread and all-bran breakfast cereals. But phytate rich foods are not healthy for us.

Phytic acid is the principal storage form of phosphorus in many plant tissues, especially the bran portion of grains and other seeds. It contains the mineral phosphorus tightly bound in a snowflake-like molecule. In humans and animals with one stomach, the phosphorus is not readily bioavailable. In addition to blocking phosphorus availability, the "arms" of the phytic acid molecule readily bind with other minerals, such as calcium, magnesium, iron and zinc, making them unavailable as well. In this form, the compound is referred to as phytate. Phytic acid not only grabs on to or chelates important minerals, but also inhibits enzymes that we need to digest our food: including pepsin, (Footnote 1) needed for the breakdown of proteins in the stomach, and amylase, (F 2) needed for the breakdown of starch into sugar. Trypsin, needed for protein digestion in the small intestine, is also inhibited by phytates. (F 3)

A diet high in phytate-rich grains has many powerful anti-nutritional effects. Many health problems can result: including tooth decay, nutrient deficiencies, lack of appetite and digestive problems.

The presence of phytic acid in so many enjoyable foods we regularly consumemakes it imperative that we know how to prepare these foods to neutralize phyticacid content as much as possible, and also to consume them in the context of a dietcontaining factors that mitigate the harmful effects of phytic acid.

Phytic acid is present in beans, seeds, nuts, grains - especially in the bran or outer hull; phytates are also found in tubers, and trace amounts occur in certain fruits and vegetables like berries and green beans. Up to 80 percent of the phosphorus- a vital mineral for bones and health- present in grains is locked into an unusable form as phytate. (F 4) When a diet including more than small amounts of phytate is consumed, the body will bind calcium to phytic acid and form insoluble phytate complexes. The net result is you lose calcium and don't absorb phosphorus. Further, research suggests that we will absorb approximately 20 percent more zinc and 60 percent magnesium from our food when phytate is absent. (F 5)

Seeds and bran are the highest sources of phytates, containing as much as two to fivetimes more phytate than even some varieties of soybeans. They can be difficult to digest unless fermented for long periods.

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